Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Livingston Parish (French: Paroisse de Livingston) Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026. Livingston Parish is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Baton Rouge–Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area. History Livingston is an eponym honoring Edward Livingston, a prominent American and Louisianan jurist and statesman who assisted in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825. Livingston Parish was created by state legislature in 1832. In recent years, Livingston Parish has been represented in the Louisiana State Senate by Republicans, Heulette Fontenot (2000–2008) and Dale M. Erdey (since 2008). Geography The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (7.80%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 12 * U.S. Highway 190 * Louisiana Highway 16 * Louisiana Highway 22 * Louisiana Highway 40 * Louisiana Highway 42 * Louisiana Highway 43 * Louisiana Highway 63 * Louisiana Highway 444 Adjacent parishes *St. Helena Parish (north) *Tangipahoa Parish (east) *St. John the Baptist Parish (southeast) *Ascension Parish (southwest) *East Baton Rouge Parish (west) for the 21st judicial district of Louisiana, comprising the parishes (counties) of Livingston, Saint Helena, and Tangipahoa.]] Together with the parishes of Saint Helena and Tangipahoa, Livingston Parish forms Louisiana's 21st judicial district. Economy Livingston Parish is home of one of two installations for a gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) which is a facility dedicated to the detection of cosmic gravitational waves and the harnessing of these waves for scientific research. http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/about/ Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 91,814 people, 32,630 households, and 25,549 families residing in the parish. The population density was 142 people per square mile (55/km²). There were 36,212 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 94.35% White, 4.22% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. | footnote=Livingston Parish Census Data }} There were 32,630 households out of which 41.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.70% were non-families. 18.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.17. In the parish the population was spread out with 29.50% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $38,887, and the median income for a family was $44,071. Males had a median income of $36,508 versus $22,325 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $16,282. As of August 2001, about 43,800 people were employed in the parish. The unemployment rate was 4.8%. About 9.10% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.70% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over. Hurricane Katrina had a dramatic effect on the population in Livingston Parish. Many displaced families of the affected Parishes have moved into the area and as a result, the population of the parish has increased significantly. On June 6, 2007, the Census Bureau published a report "Special Population Estimates for Impacted Counties in the Gulf Coast Area" which shows a population increase for Livingston Parish to 111,863 as of January 1, 2006. Presidential election results In recent years, Livingston Parish has been one of the most Republican parishes in Louisiana and the entire United States. In the 2004 election, George W. Bush received 33,976 votes, or 77% of the county's total, more than three times the 9,895 votes (22%) his opponent, John Kerry, received. The Republicans fared better still in the 2008 election, in which John McCain received 43,269 votes (85% of the total) to just 6,681 votes (13%) for Democrat Barack Obama. Cities and towns Unincorporated areas * Holden * Maurepas * Colyell * Satsuma * Watson Education The Livingston Parish Public Schools operates all public schools in the parish. See also *Mike Branch *National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston Parish, Louisiana References External links *Livingston Parish Government *Livingston Parish Tourism *LivingstonParish.org *Livingston Parish Sherriff's Office *Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory *[http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/louisiana/ Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary] *Livingston Parish Library Geology *McCulloh, R. P., P. V. Heinrich, and J. Snead, 2003, [http://www.lgs.lsu.edu/deploy/uploads/Ponchatoula%20100K.pdf Ponchatoula 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.] Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Category:parishes of Louisiana Category:Livingston Parish, Louisiana Category:Baton Rouge metropolitan area